Apparatus for burning brick



Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNITED STATES THOMAS STANLEY CURTIS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVER- SAL OPTICAL CORPORATION, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

APPARATUS FOR BURNING BRICK.

Application led August 9, 1919. Serial No. 316,431.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS STANLEY (CUR- TIS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Providence in the county 5. of Providence and State of -hode Island,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Burning Brick, of which the following is a specification.

.This invention relates to apparatus for burning or baking bricks or other pieces of material, and has for its object to provide means whereby the bricks or pieces may be spread out or separated and not operated ing applied so as to gradually raise their temperature to the desired degree to greatly reduce the time required for burning the brick and eliminate the ineflicient methods of handling the brick now employed.

In burning brick by the old pile or stack process but a small percentage of the bricks will receive approximately the requlred temperature, the remainder being either over or under heated depending on their location relative to the heat applied whereas by my improved process every brick receives exactly the same baking, sintering and cooling as that of every other brick, with the result that the quality of the production is 80 absolutely uniform.

jWith these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction` as will be more fully described, and particularl7 pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l-is a plan view of my improved furnace, illustrating the supply feed, the method of advancing the lots to be burned and the discharge conveyor.

Figure2-is a sectional side elevation of the apparatus.

Figure 3-is a section on line 3 3 of Figure 2 through the main heat chamber. Figure 4is a section on line 4 4 of Fi ure 2 showing the means for feeding the di erent lots to the carrier.

Referring to the drawings, l() designates the main heat chamber of my improved kiln or brick burning or baking apparatus which is constructed oilA suitable refractory or high heat resisting material, the same being elongated and provided with amultiplcity of upon in the usual pile or stack and heat beelectrodes 1l arranged in pairs and extending inwardly through the opposite side walls of this chamber. These electrodes may bc arranged in two sets of six each if desired whereby alternate sets may be operated during the renewing or repalring of the members of the other set.

At either end of this chamber are elongated communicating passageways l2 and 13 respectively of a size 1n cross section just large enough to receive the brick receiving platens or trays 14 when set end to end, the passageways being so arranged as to receive and be heated by the exhaust or escaping gases from the main heatingl chamber 10, which gases are conducted away through a chimney or gas flue 9 at the entering end of to the kiln at the desired intervals, I have provided al conveyor 16 on which the trays 14 are placed by the attendant, each carrying the desired number of green bricks 17 set on edge. The conveyor being timed to feed the tray to the furnace at lpredetermined intervals.

As these trays are carried forward by this conveyor and upon reaching the desired position in the passageway 12 the tray engages and moves a `pin 18 to in turn move the contact 20 to close the electric circuit indicated by wires 21-and energize the motor 22 which acts through the pmion 23 and train of gears 24 to rotate the crank 25 which is connected through the rod 26 to the slide 27. yThis slide then advances and pushes the tray forward with its load of bricks one of its lengths into the passageway 12. The mechanism continues to o erate until the crank 25 Atact arm 19 into engagement with the co'ns has made one comp ete revolution, when it v is arrested by suitable means (not shown) back in the position in which it originally' started ready for the next pushing operation.

After the desired interval the next tray is caused to be advanced into the passageway and starts the operating mechanism in the manner above described, causing the saine to push this second tray together with those previously fed, one length ahead. This operation is repeated passing each tray ahead at intervals or step by step first through the preheating chamber where the temperature of the bricks is gradually raised by the heat in this passageway or chamber then through the main chamber beneath the arcsvformed therein by the electrodes l1 then out through the discharge passageway 13 where they are gradually cooled and finally forced onto the discharge conveyor 28 by which these trays carrying their now thoroughly treated or burnedcontents are conducted away.

By this apparatus and my improved methed of burning or baking, it will be seen that each lot or tray full of bricks is advanced step by step and the heat increased gradually until they reach the electric arcs in the main chamber and continue to advance out through passageway 13 where they are gradually cooled as they recede from the source of heat, thus preventing any possibility of cracking which would be the case if they were permitted to be heated or cooled too quickly. This method produces the very 'highest quality of bricks which are most uniform in charactery and are of the highest quality.

lVhile my improved kiln offers many inducements to those who desire to burn the standard reclay brick at a .lower cost and with greater uniformity in quality than is possible with ordinary methods, its greatest -field of application is probably in the burning-'of very high refractory brick which requires extreme care in handling and very high temperature applied in a particular manner. In the case of brick which cannot be handled in stacks or piles, my improved method provides for `passing the green pieces through the kiln on trays which move very slowly, and without excessive jars or vibrations and upo-n which the pieces are placed without coming into contact one with the other.

1Where a special treatment is necessary, as in the case of especially difficult compositions, my electric kiln offers exceptional advantages as the brick maybe given any required amount of burning, preheating or cooling without' the necessity of making any change in the kiln .itself or its electrical apparatus; this change in length or time of treatment is effected merely by altering the speed of the belt conveyor 1G which feeds the trays loaded with green bricks to the prcheating passageway l2.-

I have shown and described one means lby which the bricks or analogous objects may be passed through the furnace but I do not wish to be restricted to this particular means of conveying the objects as any suitable means may be employed for this purpose.

It is found in practice that by the application of electric heat for burning bricks of refractory material by my improved process that the very high temperature I am thus able to maintain renders the product much more satisfactory and uniform in quality than is possible -to be obtained by burning it in a batch or kiln, or by the use of wood, coal, oil or gas as fuels, and the time required for burning is also materially reduced.

In the specification and claims I have referred tothe apparatus and the method as adapted to operate upon bricks, but I do not wish to be restricted or limited to the use of this apparatus for baking or burning bricks as it is most obvious that the same is capable of operating upon many other types of articles; and by the term bricks I wish to be considered as covering such articles as may be operated upon by my improved method and apparatus; and by the term burning I mean to cover baking or otherwise treating the articles to a high degree of heat.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention and the best mode known to me for carrying out my method,

I desire it to be understood that although.

specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for the purpose of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A kiln comprising a highly-heated chamber, means for localizing the heat in said chamber, means for conducting the work to be treated at a predetermined speed past the high temperature point, means for automatically introducing the work into the heating chamber through an opening in the side thereof, means for automatically and intermittently feeding theA work as introduced at a predetermined speed to the furnace, and means for automatically conducting the treated work from the furnace.

2. A kiln for baking brick or the like 'comprising a highly-heated chamber, a preheating passageway for the work leading to said chamber, platcns on which a. plurality of the bricks are deposited, a feeder for automatically introducing the bricks and platens into the heating chamber through an opening in the side thereof, means for conducting said platens step-by-step at a predetermined speed through said passageway and chamber, and means for automatically feeding the platen from the furnace intermittently at predetermined intervals.

In,a brick kiln, a plurality of trays each adapted to carry a plurality of bricks, means for automaticallyv feeding thel trays intermittently and successively to the kiln through an opening in (the side thereof, means for advancing the trays step-by-step through the kiln as fed, means' whereby the advancing movement of the entering tray is caused to force the preceding trays through the kiln` and means for discharging the trays from the kiln upon reaching apredetermined point therein.

4.- In a brick kiln, a plurality of trays each adapted to carry a plurality of bricks, means for automatically feeding the trays intermittently and successively to the kiln through an opening inthe side thereof, reciprocating means for automatically advancing the trays through the kiln as fed, means whereby the advancing movement of the B entering tray is caused to force the preceding trays through the kiln, and means for discharging the trays from the kiln upon reaching a predetermined point therein.

5. A brick kiln comprising a highlyheating chamber, passageways leading to and from said chamber, heated to a lesser degree, spaced-'apart antifrlctlon rollers mounted along the passageways and chamber, a plulrality of trays, each adapted to carry bricks,

a belt for feeding said trays to one of said passageways, means for automatically transferring said trays from said belt to and feeding them intermittently throughf said pas' sagevvays as they are presented thereto, and a belt forautomatically removing 'said trays after having passed through said heating chamber and the other of said passageways.

In testimony whereof I alfixmy signature.

THOMAS STANLEY CURTIS. 

